Machine for interpreting code-messages.



E. H. HEBERN.

MACHINE FOR INTERPRETING CODE MESSAGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

1,135 452. Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

B SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES 3 ENVENTOR BY MW h ATTORNEY E. H. HEBERN.

MACHINE FOR INTERPRETING CODE MESSAGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. n, 1912.

1,135,452, Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- WITNESSES INVENTOR BY MW )1 ATTORNEY E. H. HEBERN.

MACHINE FOR INTERPRETING CODE MESSAGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, i912. 1,135,452, Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ymy 6.

- WITNESSES 4 INVENTOR onrrrnp STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD H. HIE-BERN, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, IBY ASSIGN- MENTS, TQ H. & H. PATENT-DEVELOPING QQMIANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Application filed March 11, 1912. Serial No. 682,932.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD H. HEBERN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Interpreting Code-Messages, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a convenient form of device for quickly ascertaining the numerals or other characters which are denoted by variously located perforations on a check or other document, which has been so perforated for the purpose of transmitting to the receiver of the check or document a further indication, besides the actual writing thereon, of the magnitude of the amount for which the check is drawn, or other important fact, thus preventing successful fraudulent alteration thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a broken plan view of the device; Fig. 2 is a front view thereof; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44: of Fig. 3,1001;- ing upward; Fig. 5 is a detail plan view, the top plates being removed; Fig. 6 is a detail bottom plan view of the upper housing, the bottom apron being removed; Fig. 7 is a diagram of the electric connections; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a code card detached.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a base upon which the device is supported, and be neath whiclrare contained galvanic cells 2 for illuminatin electric lamps 3. Upon said base is supporte a switch 4; for closing the electric circuit through said lam s. Formed on said base a housing 6, on t e top of which is a table 7, having adjustably secured thereon by nuts 8 a guide 9 for an edge of a check or other instrument to be interpreted. Likewise supported u on said base and formed integral with sai. housing and at the rear thereof is a standard or block 11, into which is screwed one end of a horizontal transverse shaft 12, having at the other end a head 13. Upon said shaft is pivoted an upper housing 14 having two side walls 1.6, a d two end walls 17, the shaft 12 passing t rough the two side Walls 16 to pivota lly support the same. Secured transversely in the side walls .lfi c sa d up e h uses i a shaft 18 .9? see conducting material upon which are pivoted arms 19, spaced from each other and which .at their outer ends are received in annular grooves 21 formed in a roller 22 of non-conducting material, said roller having its ends ournaled in the side wa11s'16 of the upper housing Each arm is formed in its lower edge with a recess formed in a Segment of a circle greater than a semi-circle, and in 531d recesses fit snugly steel balls 23, WlllCll balls therefore cannot drop directly therefrom, while they cannot move laterally out of said recesses, being confined therein by the sides of the grooves 21 formed 1n the roller 22. Between said roller and a roller 24, on a shaft 25 passing through side walls of the lower houslng, can be passed a check, shown at 26, having perforations 28 therein 1ndicating by their positions on the check various charac ers, as, for instance, those of the amount or which the check is drawn. The check is inserted from the left hand side, the upper housin being raised slightly upon its pivot to faci itate its insertion.

In order to conveniently tilt the upper housing to permit of the insertion of the check thereunder there depends from the table 7 a hanger 29, upon which is Pivoted a lever 30, one arm of which extends through a slot 31 in the front wall of the lower housing and carries at its outer end an operating handle 32, while the other arm has a camshaped end adapted to engage a hanger 33 secured, as shown at 34; to the rear wall of the upper housing on its inner side and extending through a slot in the table 7. When said upper housing has been raised by moving the handle 32 from left to right, and a check has been inserted between the steel balls and the lower roller, the upper housing is again permitted to drop by moving the handle back to its former position. Extendin over said transverse shaft 18 is a block 37 of insulating material having legs 38 pivoted to said shaft 18. Upon said block are secured a number of bindin posts 39 to which are connected spring fingerselO which depress upward extensions 42 of the respective arms and thus press said balls against said lower roller, or against a check' or other Paper if interposed between the 1 wer roller andthe balls. To said block 3 is'secnr'ed 7 an arm 43, which extends through a wall of the upper housing, and through the projecting end of which is screwed an adpastmg screw 44, the lower end of which rests upon an abutment 46 from said front wall. By screwing the screw through the end of the arm, the tension of the springs 40 may be 1ncreasedor diminished as desired and thus there may be also increased or diminished the pressure of the balls on the check or other paper. The check is advanced between the lower and upper rollers by turning the lower roller by means of a handle 47 outside the lower housing.

Upon thetop of the upper housing is secured a. plate 48, having therein sockets 49, a convenient number of such sockets being twelve. In these sockets are contained small electric lamps 3. Upon the rear edge of said plate is hinged, as shown at 52, an upper plate 53 formed with holes therethrough corresponding in position and size with the sockets, so that, when said upper plate is closed down upon the lower plate, said lamps are seen through said holes. Said upper plate carries a casing 54 also formed with similarly arranged holes and provided with a glass cover 55 spaced from the bottom of the casing. In the space between the bottom of said casing and said cover are contained three sheets of celluloid or other transparent material, of which the upper and lower sheets 56, 57 are permanently retained in position, while the mediate sheet 58 is removable therefrom, being formed with a tag 59 for conveniently removing the same. Upon said mediate sheet are printed characters in any irregular or fortuitous order, said characters in' ments, each sheet 58 thus forming a sepa rate code, which may be given a code number, so that it may be readily selected from a code receptacle, and inserted in position between the upper and lower sheets for the reading of a check issued by the holder of a corresponding code. Conveniently arranged in the lower plate 48 are a series of binding screws 62 respectively connected to the lamps. The plates 48 and 53 slope downwardly from the rear, for greater convenience reading the numerals which appear as the lamps are successively illumi- 5 nated The lower roller 24 is-formed of insulating material, but has a metallic cylindrical surface 63, and also a metallic surface 64 at one end, which is adapted to contact with a spring contact finger 66, secured on an insulated binding post 65, and which is adapted to be pressed inwardly by a ring 67 of insulating material secured to a disk 68 upon a sleeve 69 surrounding the shaft 25 of the lower roller, and extending through the front wall of the lower housing and having secured on its outer end the handle 47. Said sleeve is slidably keyed, as shown at 71, to the shaft of the lower roller, a coiled spring 72 around the shaft pressing the disk 68 away from the end of the roller. When. it is desired to advance a check the handle 47 is pressed inwardly against the pressure of the spring 72, thereby causing the spring finger 66 to contact with metal surface 64 on said roller, thereby introducing said lower roller into the electric circuit hereinafter described.

The electric circuit proceeds from the cells 2, by wire 74, binding post 65, sprin finger 66, roller 24, one o the steel bal s 23, corresponding arm 19, spring finger 40. corresponding wire 74, binding screw 62, corresponding lamp 3, thence to a common wire 75, through the switch 4 and to the other side of the cells. As a check is advanced,

as soon as a perforation therein arrives immediately beneath one of the steel balls, contact is immediately made through said perforation between said ball and the lower roller 24, and the lamp corresponding to said steel ball is illuminated and the numeral indicated by the perforation immediately appears. On the check being further advanced another numeral appears in like manner, until all of the perforations have been interpreted.

I claim 1. A machine for interpreting code messages, comprising a lower roller having a conducting surface, steel balls rolling on said roller, arms having recesses in which the said steel balls are upheld, an upper roller of insulating material having transverse grooves in which said arms are retained, means for advancing a perforated sheet between said balls and roller, circuits arranged to be closed by the passage of the perforated portions of the sheets between the lower roller and the respective balls,

characters, and electric lamps in said circuits arranged to illuminate the respective characters.

2. A machine for interpreting code messages, comprising a series of electrical contacts, means for advancing a perforated sheet between said contacts, circuits 81", ranged to be closed by the passage of the perforated portions of the sheets between the respective contacts, a source of electricity, electric lamps in the respective cirmy hand in the cuits, two sheets of transparent celluloid, Witnesses. and a removable intermediate transparent presence of two subscribing sheet having formed thereon, in locations EDWARD HEBERN' 5 corresponding to the locations of the lamps, Witnesses:

characters to be illuminated by said lamps. FRANCIS M. WRIGHT,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set D. B. RICHARDS. 

